The Day the Movies Died

[Wes R]

It also doesn't help that alot of folks wait for stuff to hit dvd anymore. You can rent it for a buck and buy it a month after it comes out for the cost of a movie ticket.

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

Yea the scene with Will Smith. His supposed "best friend in the world" has just been killed. After his fight with the alien, he quips, "Now that's what I call a close encounter". This was just a few minutes after his "friends" death. That one scene ruined it for me. I still love all the effects. Just wish they were in a different movie.

Yeah. That was it. That was the moment the movies died. What killed me was that a whole theatre seemed to laugh at the quip. It felt like...I wasn't part of the human race any more - or rather the last survivor or something...

 

[Jeyl]

The Day the Movies Died? Simple. The day someone said "Let's have this appeal to the mass audience."

 

[ghostryder]

[Gorman]Umm, yeah, right... So anyway...[/Gorman]

‘True Grit’ Co-Financier Skydance Targets ‘Star Blazers’ For Christopher McQuarrie – Deadline.com

 

[Solo4114]

Labrynth was awesome. It was a complete dream fantasy movie.

ID4 had no excuses. IMHO one of the worst movies of all time.

TPM is what put the nail in the coffin for new movies. It showed hollywood that as long as you had a "name" or a franchise... you can make a crap ton of money without much more. Throw in some CGI and whizz bang pow effects and sound. And you are gonna make your money back 10 fold.

Use the name spiderman, tons of people will go see it. But something like the Book of Eli? What is that? Firefly? Huh?

Oh look they are Re-remaking spiderman, again people will fill the seats just to see what it is. Re-remaking superman? Sure! People will come out in droves.

And if/when they actually come out with SW episode7... even if the trailer is a picture of a turd on the sidewalk... people will line up around the block just out of morbid curiousity.

But come up with a new concept nowadays? You MAY get a cult following once it hits DVD/BR. But you will have not nearly recouped your production costs. Look at Firefly the movie. No one went to see it. But there are probably hundreds of thousands of people that know the movie by heart.

It's sad really. Hollywood has to do stuff like make Annie for will smiths daughter... instead of making a completely new movie and character with similarities... no lets just call it "Annie" people will go see that!!! :rolleyes Same with Karate Kid... Jackie Chan is a badass... but HE DOESN'T KNOW KARATE!!! :angry

And of course they couldn't name it, THE ART OF KUNG FU or something... they needed a NAME to sell. :rolleyes

I am just tired of all the remakes and rehashing of old great stories. Where are the NEW great stories?

End of rant. :angel

I'm with you, man. Branding's all that matters now. And I can see where the combination of clever branding and whiz-bang effects is pretty much all you need anymore.

It also doesn't help that alot of folks wait for stuff to hit dvd anymore. You can rent it for a buck and buy it a month after it comes out for the cost of a movie ticket.

Folks wait for stuff to hit DVD because (A) the theater experience sucks now, and (B) the movies you see in said theater aren't worth the $10 ticket. I'd rather get many of these films on Netflix than see them in the theater.

Yeah. That was it. That was the moment the movies died. What killed me was that a whole theatre seemed to laugh at the quip. It felt like...I wasn't part of the human race any more - or rather the last survivor or something...

I know how you feel. I felt that way when Randy Quaid yelled "I'm baaaaaaack" and proceeded to ram his F/A-18 into the spacecraft. The theater laughed, and I wanted to punch someone.

 

[Wes R]

I agree. I stay away from theaters because the experience is nowhere what it was when i was younger. Even if you go early in the day when it's older folks someone always has to bring a screaming baby or a cell phone.

 

[Westies14]

My favorite part of the GQ article was pointing out how sad and frightening it is that Hollywood is intentionally dismissing/ignoring the SUCCESS of something like Inception because it's easier than taking note of it and trying to go down that road again...

 

[rodneyfaile]

I agree. I stay away from theaters because the experience is nowhere what it was when i was younger. Even if you go early in the day when it's older folks someone always has to bring a screaming baby or a cell phone.

I still LOVE the theatre experience. I have found it to be better going to the midnight releases. I havent come across any screaming babies after midnight. There are a lot of young people, but they are usually big fans.
I saw Tron Legacy at midnight and there were all kinds of people in homemade
Tron costumes.
Fans at midnight know when to really cheer and gasp. Like when Rhodie looks at the War machine suit in the first Iron Man. Or when you get a look at Mjolnir at the end of Iron Man 2.

I dont think movies are dead. Sure some things get made for no other reason than it will make a ton of money, and most often its fluff. Every movie cant be Citizen Kane. Sometimes you need an ID4 because that is just what you are in the mood for. Sometimes I like steak, and sometimes I just want a tuna sandwich.

 

[Westies14]

We have a theater which has some smaller "Director's Hall" theaters with larger reclining leather seats, in-theater concessions, more legroom, great digital projection and sound, and you can reserve your seats when you buy your tickets (online or in the theater) like you can with many airlines. It costs a bit more, but you don't have to get there half an hour early to sit where you'd like, and the extra cost usually keeps kids away. I also prefer a modestly-sized screen to IMAX or even the large theater rooms because I like to see the entire picture, the composition of the frame. I've seen things in IMAX and then at another theater or at home and realized I missed something because I was looking at the wrong part of the screen at the time! Crazy. I still enjoy the theater experience when it's done right.

 

[Solo4114]

I think most people do, actually. But I also think that experience is these days easier to achieve at home than it is at an actual theater.

 

[rodneyfaile]

Standing in line with a crowd of people in anticipation, and then seeing the movie with that crowd and hearing their reactions, laughs, gasps, cheers, is all part of the feeling of being in a theatre. Sure there are bad experiences sometimes like babies crying, or some idiot talking, but when all the pieces fall into place and you got a good crowd, there is nothing else like it.

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

I know how you feel. I felt that way when Randy Quaid yelled "I'm baaaaaaack" and proceeded to ram his F/A-18 into the spacecraft. The theater laughed, and I wanted to punch someone.

I wish I'd had you at my side, man! We could've helped each other get through. I'd gone alone. Don't think I ever felt so lonely....

 

[Solo4114]

I know what you mean.

I went with friends.

I still felt alone in the moment.

 

[ghostryder]

Warner Bros Remakes ‘The Bodyguard’ – Deadline.com

 

[Solo4114]

Warner Bros Remakes ‘The Bodyguard’ – Deadline.com